Raytown swimmer Monica Hernandez is looking for a happy ending to her high school career.</p><p>At the same time the senior is hoping to do something that no area girl swimmer has done in the last two years, win an individual state championship.</p><p>"I am very excited about tomorrow," Hernandez said after finishing third in the 100-yard breaststroke in prelims Friday at the MHSHAA Girls State Swimming Championships at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters. "I am excited to end this chapter and begin a new one."</p><p>Hernandez, who plans to swim at the Naval Academy, is among several area swimmers who advanced to the finals of the state meet with top eight performances in the prelims. They hope to become the first area champ in the 2010&#x2019;s. The last Kansas City swimmer to win an individual title was Eleanor Prewitt-Thomas who won the 500-yard freestyle for state champion Blue Springs in 2009.</p><p>"I would love to take the gold in the breast at state," said Hernandez, who finished fourth in the event last year. "I have had a great four years and winning the gold has been my ultimate goal."</p><p>Hernandez had a time of 1:06.45 Friday. Ally Neumann of Parkway Central had the best time (1:06.07) while Annie Goessling of MICDS was second in 1:06.27.</p><p>"I was pretty happy with my time today," said Hernandez, who finished the dreaded ninth in the 50-yard freestyle Friday, missing the finals by .03 of a second. "I treated today like it was the last race of my life."</p><p>Blue Springs started the preliminary phase of the state meet in impressive fashion, finishing second in the 200-yard medley relay. Senior Ibby Simcox, sophomore Corinne Rinne, sophomore Alyssa Aubuchon and senior Lexi Lezcano had a time of 1:49.99. Fort Zumwalt West finished first in 1:49.32.</p><p>Blue Springs also qualified to the final in the 200-yard freestyle relay as Lezcano, Aubuchon along with junior Amy Jorgensen and freshman Ashley Sturman finished fourth in 1:43.17.</p><p>Simcox and Rinne also qualified to the finals in individual events. Simcox, who has won 11 state medals in her high school career, was fifth in the 100-yard butterfly while Rinne will join Hernandez in the 100-breaststroke finals after finishing sixth.</p><p>Liberty freshman Dreya Curnow performed well in her first state meet, qualifying to two finals after finishing fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and eighth in the 100-yard freestyle.</p><p>St. Teresa&#x2019;s Rose Hutchison and Park Hill&#x2019;s Brynn Guardado also will be swimming in two finals Saturday. Hutchison, a junior, was seventh in the 200-yard freestyle and sixth in the 100-yard freestyle. Guardado, a senior, was seventh in both the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle.</p><p>Park Hill South and Notre Dame de Sion advanced relay teams to Saturday&#x2019;s finals. Park Hill South seniors Mariah Bryant, Rachael Norfleet and Miranda Henderson and freshman Helen Yeater finished fifth in the 200-yard medley relay. Notre Dame de Sion closed out the prelims in style qualifying in the 400-yard freestyle medley. Juniors Caroline Gates, J.T. Nelson and Hannah Tutera and sophomore Kristine Sullivan finished seventh.</p><p>The swimming finals will begin Saturday at 3 p.m. The diving competition will be held at 9:30 a.m.